Inside Unmanned Systems

APR-MAY 2018

Inside Unmanned Systems provides actionable business intelligence to decision-makers and influencers operating within the global UAS community. Features include analysis of key technologies, policy/regulatory developments and new product design.

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44 April/May 2018 unmanned systems
inside
SPECIAL REPORT NASA TECHNOLOGY
Not all the challenges are technological in
nature. There's also social acceptance. Before
the public will be willing to trust these aircraft,
they'll need to know they're safe, and that they
won't be a source of noise pollution. Many peo-
ple are skeptical that f lying taxis are actually
feasible, so it's important to start educating the
public now.
"We have a big task to overcome in prepar-
ing citizens for a future with f lying vehicles,"
Thomsen said. "We're approaching that
through citizen engagement and public debate.
We're getting citizens involved before the tech-
nology is ready."
THE FUTURE
UAM is going to create an entire new industry,
Prevot said. The systems will need to be manu-
factured at a scale that's similar to the car in-
dustry, while many other sectors will also ben-
efit from this new class of aircraft. Sky ports
will require a lot of power, generating business
for utility companies, while the need for a new
infrastructure will create opportunities for the
real estate industry.
And this all could happen sooner than you
might think. Uber Elevate, for example, plans
to begin its initial f light demonstrations in
2020, with commercial operations slated to
start in select cities in 2023. Others plan to
have their systems ready for prime time in the
early to mid-2020s.
Treeck expects air taxis to be a common
sight in major cities in the next 10 to 15 years,
with the first pilot programs to be up and
running in about three. As large, well-known
companies continue to invest in UAM, more
people will see the many benefits it can pro-
vide, whether it's cutting an hour and a half
commute to 15 minutes or reducing emissions.
"It's not a question of whether it's coming,
it's a question of when it's coming," Treeck
said. "It's going to come f irst to megaci-
ties where there's no more space to provide
ground transportation or build roads or tun-
nels. Think of Tokyo as an example. This tech-
nology will first be accepted in areas where
you can't provide more mobility with the
means you already have."
CERTAIN ROUTES WILL BE
LESS COMPLEX, AND IN THOSE
INSTANCES WE'LL BE ABLE TO
MAKE THE SAFETY CASE FOR
FLYING THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT
A PILOT SOONER."
Tom Prevot, director Airspace Systems,
Uber Elevate
"
Photo courtesy of Uber Elevate.
Looking
Ahead
2023
The year Uber
plans to start
integrating
air taxis into
the fi rst pilot
cities.